 The punishment for evading the nose tax was quite perverse. Anyone refusing to pay the tax had their nose slit from tip to eyebrow. The people had a choice, either pay the tax or pay through the nose. A pecking order is a hierarchy or authority in a group, and it's a phrase that began with the farming of chickens. Domestic poultry maintain a strict hierarchy where the lead hen is able to peck any other for whatever reason without fear of retribution.